[after like a half-hour recap of the full adventure on the Map of Barovia]
With a two-day hike back to the boats, Izek and Ghalwin had Tobias reshape their armor over their rests. A giant goat's head was now imprinted on Izek's pauldron while horns spiked from his helmet, and Ghalwin's rusty brutal plate became form-fitting with a silver dragon motif. Verity’s armor received a similar sleekening, and Tobias incorporated the leftover mithral into his round shield, hiding a sling under its base.
At Ajuni's request, the gnome took a break from his hammering, and she was relieved to hear that he no longer felt tormented after speaking with, and killing, Zandros. She finally confided to Tobias the truth about her pact, and the two realized they had found a strange solace amidst Barovia's blatant evils, reaffirming their total trust in the other. Meanwhile, Ghalwin reflected on Izek’s resilience, but the giant was weighed down by the shame of fleeing from the Riots of the Blazing Sun. Ghalwin reassured Izek that he would not break again, and spoke of his journeys with Ireena: despite differing views on the Wachter boys, the barbarian asked the paladin to ensure Ireena’s freedom if he fell.
They headed across Lake Zarovich using Tobias' horse-boat trick, and near-immediately drew the attention of the Gigant Tyatshkala. Ghalwin was again able to sense the creature's approach and, again, stoked enough fear in the monstrosity to turn it back; the serpent was clearly terrified of his magical pipes that somehow made sound underwater. Once at the shore, the group was divided on how to handle Vallaki. Ghalwin and Ez favored making a covert coup, wanting to dismantle the town’s oppressive structures by invading the Wachterhaus and killing Fiona. Tobias and Ajuni were concerned about the possible resulting political instability, as Vallaki under her rule was seemingly better off than it had been before. Izek just wanted to crush Wachter skulls.
Needing more information, they disguised themselves as fishermen with a shoddy cart and arrived in the early afternoon. Their entry did not go entirely unnoticed, as Ernst Larnak watched from the rooftops. They decided to execute a familiar strategy by having Ghalwin pee in an alleyway outside the Blue Water Inn, luring Fiona's spy into another approach. When the paladin revealed his identity and swung, Ernst beat him to the punch; but as he fled, an invisible Ezmerelda knocked him to the ground. Izek blocked the scene from onlookers with the wagon as Ghalwin manacled Ernst, Ajuni silenced him with magic, and Ez turned him invisible. They moved him to a hidden attic at the Inn, and Tobias took on the role of a violence-prone interrogator while Ajuni magically charmed Ernst to her side.
After some back-and-forth, they learned that Vallaki’s cultish guard force was a hundred strong, but most were new recruits. The nobles in the her cult had been indoctrinated prior to the coup. They were influential individuals who were tricked into thinking Fiona possessed powerful magic, and who benefited from Vargas' fall. After some deliberation, the party decided a plan: one team would infiltrate the Wachterhaus' basement to kill Majesto, while the other would capture Fiona Wachter and rescue Stella. They would use collected evidence at a town trial to expose Fiona's evils to the public, such as her spellbooks and imp, then establish a mercantile democracy with trusted figures serving as representatives.
Ghalwin then drove his moon-touched blade through Ernst's heart: another revolution was set to blaze through Vallaki.